With the Marines at Tarawa

November 20, 1943

On this day in US Naval history, the 2^nd Marine Division assaulted the Japanese-held island of Betio, Tarawa Atoll, in what would be one of the first in a long line of massive, bloody amphibious assaults during WWII in the Pacific. Code named Operation GALVANIC, and reminiscent of the old War Plan ORANGE, the assault on Tarawa was the beginning of the central drive in the Pacific, and was designed to capture a Japanese airfield on the island.

Unfortunately for the Marines, the initial assault was beset by several catastrophic blunders. The naval bombardment that was meant to soften the Japanese defenses – furious but largely ineffective – was lifted twenty minutes early. Also, the amphibious assault took place during an abnormally low tide, grounding many of the landing craft as much as 800 yards from the shore, and leaving the Marines to wade in under heavy fire. Moreover a final heavy airstrike was abruptly canceled when it was feared that the strike would hit too close to the advancing Marines.   

After three days of bloody fighting, the Marines took the island, but not without a cost. 990 Marines were killed during the battle, and another 2,296 wounded. Of the nearly 5,000 strong Japanese garrison, only seventeen were taken prisoner, along with 129 Korean laborers.

The lessons learned at Tarawa would be incorporated into plans for later amphibious assaults such as Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

Four Marines received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their part in the invasion of Tarawa Atoll. They were:

     COL David Monroe Shoup

     1^st LT Alexander Bonnyman Jr

     1^st LT William Deane Hawkins

     SSGT William James Bordelon

Of these four Marines, only COL Shoup survived the battle.

 For more, please see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSEGPnj8Pa8 

http://www.tarawaontheweb.org/

http://www.usstarawavets.org/Operation%20Galvanic.htm

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/tarawa.htm

Eric Hammel and John E. Lane, Bloody Tarawa: The 2d Marine Division, November 20-23, 1943, 2006.

Marines Storm Tarawa

Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll

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Tags: American History